Lettuce & Dill Soup

Recipe Image

Lettuce needn’t be confined to the salad bowl. It’s also an excellent soup ingredient, especially when paired with dill. This recipe came from Gaby Melvin whose adventurous palate is always proving me wrong!

  • Serves 2
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 20 minutes
  • Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 150g potato, peeled and finely diced
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch of grated nutmeg  
  • 2 small heads round or 1 iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
  • 3 tablespoons half-fat crème fraiche
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Jennifers Tips

Add a touch of luxury by sprinkling over a little diced smoked salmon over the soup. Add a generous grinding of black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice to bring the flavours together.

Photo and recipe taken from The Balance Diet Cookbook.

Preparation
  • Add the oil, onions and potato to medium non-stick pan and stir to coat the vegetables with the oil. Cook on a medium heat and then cover the pan and leave to sweat for 8 minutes.
  • Add the stock, bring to the boil, season with pepper and nutmeg, and reduce the heat to simmer for 4 minutes.
  • Add the lettuce and simmer for 7 more minutes.
  • Add the dill and allow to cook for a further minute.  Blend the soup until smooth, using a hand-held blender or by transferring to a food processor. Strain it through a sieve back into the pan.
  • Add the crème fraiche and stir through gently, then season with pepper.
To Serve
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
  • 2 slices rye bread (optional)
  • Half-fat cream cheese (optional)
  • Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and sprinkle the dill on top. Serve with rye bread spread with a little cream cheese if you like.